Playing the role of a heel: "If people want to boo me, that's great. As long as they're making noise and they're into it … when I'm out there, I want people to show if they're mad, they're happy, just some kind of emotion. They paid money to come out and cut loose a little bit, so that's what I intend on doing. I come out and cut loose and I let it all hang out. If I can elicit some kind of a response, that makes me happy, I know that. It doesn't bother me at all to have people boo me."

Comparing his football days with The Shield: "I've always been a physical athlete, so getting in the ring and being, in a sense, in-character is not me. It's always been an extension of myself. Being a part of The Shield, it's right up my alley to be an enforcer, to be the muscle of the group, almost like the D-linemen. A lot of times, that's how it looks. I'm the D-lineman and (Shield members) Seth (Rollins) and Dean (Ambrose) are like linebackers running free. I can free them up to do whatever they want and back up anything they feel or say, so it's a good feeling to be a part of the team again. I often think of it as it's third-and-long and I'm turning the corner and I have a free shot at a quarterback. Any time I have that opportunity, I'm going to bring it."